Advertising for dummies

Advertising
FOR
DUMmIES
‰
2ND EDITION
01_045833 ffirs.qxp 11/22/06 3:40 PM Page i
01_045833 ffirs.qxp 11/22/06 3:40 PM Page ii
Advertising
FOR
DUMmIES
‰
2ND EDITION
by Gary Dahl
01_045833 ffirs.qxp 11/22/06 3:40 PM Page iii
Advertising For Dummies
®
, 2nd Edition
Published by
Wiley Publishing, Inc.
111 River St.
Hoboken, NJ 07030-5774
www.wiley.com
Copyright © 2007 by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published by Wiley Publishing, Inc., Indianapolis, Indiana
Published simultaneously in Canada
No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or
by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, scanning, or otherwise, except as permit-
ted under Sections 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without either the prior written
permission of the Publisher, or authorization through payment of the appropriate per-copy fee to the
Copyright Clearance Center, 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923, 978-750-8400, fax 978-646-8600.

Requests to the Publisher for permission should be addressed to the Legal Department, Wiley Publishing,
Inc., 10475 Crosspoint Blvd., Indianapolis, IN 46256, 317-572-3447, fax 317-572-4355, or online at http://
www.wiley.com/go/permissions.
Trademarks: Wiley, the Wiley Publishing logo, For Dummies, the Dummies Man logo, A Reference for the
Rest of Us!, The Dummies Way, Dummies Daily, The Fun and Easy Way, Dummies.com and related trade
dress are trademarks or registered trademarks of John Wiley & Sons, Inc. and/or its affiliates in the United
States and other countries, and may not be used without written permission. All other trademarks are the
property of their respective owners. Wiley Publishing, Inc., is not associated with any product or vendor
mentioned in this book.
LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHOR MAKE NO REP-
RESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE
CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT
LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CRE-
ATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES OR PROMOTIONAL MATERIALS. THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CON-
TAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY SITUATION. THIS WORK IS SOLD WITH THE
UNDERSTANDING THAT THE PUBLISHER IS NOT ENGAGED IN RENDERING LEGAL, ACCOUNTING, OR
OTHER PROFESSIONAL SERVICES. IF PROFESSIONAL ASSISTANCE IS REQUIRED, THE SERVICES OF A
COMPETENT PROFESSIONAL PERSON SHOULD BE SOUGHT. NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR THE
AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR DAMAGES ARISING HEREFROM. THE FACT THAT AN ORGANIZATION
OR WEBSITE IS REFERRED TO IN THIS WORK AS A CITATION AND/OR A POTENTIAL SOURCE OF FUR-
THER INFORMATION DOES NOT MEAN THAT THE AUTHOR OR THE PUBLISHER ENDORSES THE
INFORMATION THE ORGANIZATION OR WEBSITE MAY PROVIDE OR RECOMMENDATIONS IT MAY
MAKE. FURTHER, READERS SHOULD BE AWARE THAT INTERNET WEBSITES LISTED IN THIS WORK
MAY HAVE CHANGED OR DISAPPEARED BETWEEN WHEN THIS WORK WAS WRITTEN AND WHEN IT
IS READ.
For general information on our other products and services, please contact our Customer Care
Department within the U.S. at 800-762-2974, outside the U.S. at 317-572-3993, or fax 317-572-4002.
For technical support, please visit www.wiley.com/techsupport.
Wiley also publishes its books in a variety of electronic formats. Some content that appears in print may
not be available in electronic books.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2006936762
ISBN-13: 978-0-470-04583-1
ISBN-10: 0-470-04583-3
Manufactured in the United States of America
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
2B/RT/RS/QW/IN
01_045833 ffirs.qxp 11/22/06 3:40 PM Page iv
About the Author
Gary Dahl is an award-winning copywriter, creative director, and advertising
agency owner. His career spans 40 years, during which he has handled all
facets of advertising for hundreds of clients. His agency, Gary Dahl Creative
Services, in Campbell, California, specializes in electronic advertising. Dahl’s
ability to creatively capture the essence of a client’s business in 30 or 60
seconds of clear, concise broadcast copy is a result of having written and
produced hundreds of television commercials and thousands of radio com-
mercials for a wide variety of businesses, including financial, automotive,
wireless, education, retail, high-tech, and dot-coms.
Gary Dahl has a unique understanding of what it takes to successfully convey
a client’s message to potential customers. As the creator of the retail phe-
nomenon, the Pet Rock –– which still ranks as the fastest selling and most
publicized novelty gift product in retail history –– Dahl has proven the extra-
ordinary power of a creative idea combined with an effective, well-planned
marketing strategy. He has been featured in Time, Newsweek, People, Playboy,
and other major magazines; has appeared on numerous network TV shows;
and has been interviewed by countless radio networks worldwide, including
NPR, the BBC, and the Australian Broadcasting Company.
An accomplished public speaker, Dahl has made advertising/marketing pre-
sentations to numerous university advertising and marketing communications
classes, advertising and civic organizations, and business and professional
clubs throughout the country. He and his wife, Marguerite, live in the hills

above Los Gatos, California.
Ruth Mills is an editor and writer with more than 20 years of experience in
book publishing. She has edited and published books on a wide range of
topics, including business, finance, biography, general-interest non-fiction,
and fiction. She has worked with authors who were CEOs of major corpora-
tions (including Continental Airlines and Sears) and journalists from such
major publications as BusinessWeek, Forbes, Fortune, and The Wall Street
Journal. She also developed several series of books with Entrepreneur,
Adweek, and Black Enterprise magazines. Finally, she has ghost-written seven
books on business topics, including advertising, real estate investing, per-
sonal finance, and the success story of a well-known business entrepreneur.
01_045833 ffirs.qxp 11/22/06 3:40 PM Page v
01_045833 ffirs.qxp 11/22/06 3:40 PM Page vi
Dedication
To Marguerite, my soul mate and the love of my life.
01_045833 ffirs.qxp 11/22/06 3:40 PM Page vii
Publisher’s Acknowledgments
We’re proud of this book; please send us your comments through our Dummies online registration
form located at www.dummies.com/register/.
Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:
Acquisitions, Editorial, and
Media Development
Project Editor: Natalie Faye Harris
(Previous Edition: Elizabeth Netedu Kuball)
Acquisitions Editor: Stacy Kennedy
(Previous Edition: Holly McGuire)
Copy Editor: Sarah Westfall
Technical Editor: Tom Hirons
Editorial Manager: Christine Beck
Media Development Manager:

Laura VanWinkle
Editorial Assistants: Erin Calligan, Joe Niesen,
David Lutton, Leeann Harney
Cartoons: Rich Tennant
(www.the5thwave.com)
Composition Services
Project Coordinator: Patrick Redmond
Layout and Graphics: Carl Byers,
Lavonne Cook, Joyce Haughey,
Stephanie D. Jumper, Shelley Norris,
Barry Offringa, Laura Pence
Anniversary Logo Design: Richard Pacifico
Proofreaders: Dwight Ramsey, Techbooks
Indexer: Techbooks
Publishing and Editorial for Consumer Dummies
Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Publisher, Consumer Dummies
Joyce Pepple, Acquisitions Director, Consumer Dummies
Kristin A. Cocks, Product Development Director, Consumer Dummies
Michael Spring, Vice President and Publisher, Travel
Kelly Regan, Editorial Director, Travel
Publishing for Technology Dummies
Andy Cummings, Vice President and Publisher, Dummies Technology/General User
Composition Services
Gerry Fahey, Vice President of Production Services
Debbie Stailey, Director of Composition Services
01_045833 ffirs.qxp 11/22/06 3:40 PM Page viii
Contents at a Glance
Introduction 1
Part I: Advertising 101 7
Chapter 1: Advertising: Mastering the Art of Promotion 9

Chapter 2: Setting and Working within Your Advertising Budget 19
Chapter 3: Boosting Your Budget with Co-Op Programs 33
Chapter 4: Defining and Positioning Your Message 41
Chapter 5: Forming an Effective Ad Campaign 53
Part II: Creating Great Ads for Every Medium 71
Chapter 6: Online Advertising: Maximizing the Enormous Reach of the Internet 73
Chapter 7: Using Print Ads: Small Spaces with Big Audiences 95
Chapter 8: Radio: Effective, Affordable, and Fun 107
Chapter 9: Demystifying TV Commercials: They Don’t Have
to Win Awards to Be Effective 123
Chapter 10: Collateral Advertising and Direct Mail:
Brochures, Flyers, Newsletters, and More 139
Chapter 11: Opting for Outdoor Ads: Billboards, Posters,
Ads on Buses, and Other Signage 159
Part III: Buying the Different Media 173
Chapter 12: Investing in Internet Advertising 175
Chapter 13: Buying Ad Space in Print Media 187
Chapter 14: Purchasing Ad Time on the Radio 199
Chapter 15: Getting Your Ads on Television 215
Chapter 16: Deciding Whether to Hire an Ad Agency 233
Part IV: Beyond the Basics: Creating Buzz
and Using Publicity 245
Chapter 17: Creating Buzz and Word-of-Mouth Advertising 247
Chapter 18: Leveraging Your Advertising with Public Relations,
Publicity, Specialty Items, and Events 257
Part V: The Part of Tens 279
Chapter 19: Ten Secrets for Writing Memorable Advertising 281
Chapter 20: (Almost) Ten Ways to Know It’s Time to Hire an Agency 287
02_045833 ftoc.qxp 11/22/06 3:40 PM Page ix
Glossary 293

Index 297
02_045833 ftoc.qxp 11/22/06 3:40 PM Page x
Table of Contents
Introduction 1
About This Book 1
Conventions Used in This Book 2
What You’re Not to Read 2
Foolish Assumptions 2
How This Book Is Organized 3
Part I: Advertising 101 3
Part II: Creating Great Ads for Every Medium 3
Part III: Buying the Different Media 4
Part IV: Beyond the Basics: Creating Buzz and Using Publicity 4
Part V: The Part of Tens 4
Icons Used in This Book 5
Where to Go from Here 5
Part I: Advertising 101 7
Chapter 1: Advertising: Mastering the Art of Promotion . . . . . . . . . . . .9
Making Advertising Work 10
Getting to Know Your Media Options 11
Regarding radio 11
Rating TV 12
Contemplating print 12
Musing upon direct mail 13
Scrutinizing outdoor advertising 14
Ogling online ads 14
Poring over publicity 14
Lessons from the Legends: Figuring Out Your Advertising Needs 15
David Ogilvy 16
Bill Bernbach 17

Wieden and Kennedy 18
Chapter 2: Setting and Working within Your Advertising Budget . . .19
Determining How Much You Can Afford to Spend 20
Developing an Advertising Strategy and a Tactical Plan 22
Researching and evaluating your competition 22
Identifying your target market 23
Knowing your product’s appeal 24
02_045833 ftoc.qxp 11/22/06 3:40 PM Page xi
Maximizing Your Budget 24
Getting the most out of your creative and production 25
Using media you can afford 26
Chapter 3: Boosting Your Budget with Co-Op Programs . . . . . . . . . . .33
Knowing Who Uses Co-Op Funds 33
Finding Out Which of Your Suppliers Have Co-Op Funds Available 35
Knowing who to talk to 36
You’ve found your funds, now how do you get the dough? 37
Understanding the Rules, Regulations, and Restrictions 37
Getting your ads preapproved 38
Obtaining proof of performance 39
Submitting your co-op claims package 40
Chapter 4: Defining and Positioning Your Message . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .41
Understanding Why People Choose One Product
or Service over Another 42
Image is everything 42
You’ve got personality! 42
Convenience: More than location 43
Don’t sacrifice service! 44
Let ’em know your uniqueness 45
The price is right 45
Researching and Assessing Your Competition:

What Sets Your Product Apart? 46
Developing a Strategy for Your Advertising Campaign 48
Case Study: Advertising a Chain of Women’s
Plus-Size Clothing Stores 49
Identifying the USP: The unique selling proposition 50
Knowing the budget — and staying within its limits 50
Shooting the ads 51
Selecting the right media 51
Applying these ideas to your ad campaign 52
Chapter 5: Forming an Effective Ad Campaign . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .53
Identifying and Targeting Your Audience 54
Focus on your primary market 55
Research your market 55
Checking Out Your Competition’s Ads
so You Can Differentiate Yours 56
Focusing on Ads That You Respond to Most 57
Advertising For Dummies, 2nd Edition
xii
02_045833 ftoc.qxp 11/22/06 3:40 PM Page xii
Concocting a Creative Hook to Get Your Audience’s Attention 59
Creative brainstorming 60
Creative example: Developing a campaign
for a community college 62
Incorporating Your Creative Message into
an Overall Media Ad Campaign 65
Ensuring consistency of your message
in all media you choose 66
Keeping your message simple 66
Using words that sell 67
Delivering your message with clarity 69

Part II: Creating Great Ads for Every Medium 71
Chapter 6: Online Advertising: Maximizing
the Enormous Reach of the Internet . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .73
Measuring the Pros and Cons of Online Advertising 74
Creating Your Own Web Site 76
Deciding on your Web site goals 77
Choosing an effective domain name 78
Saving money (or your sanity): Your Web design 78
Designing a strong Web site 79
Promoting Your Site 83
Setting Goals for Online Ads 85
Ads that build awareness 86
Ads that encourage click-through 86
Ads that encourage sales 87
Choosing Among Online Ad Formats 87
Creating banner ads 88
Doing e-mail advertising 92
Chapter 7: Using Print Ads: Small Spaces with Big Audiences . . . . .95
Exploring the Advantages of Print 95
Recognizing What Makes a Print Ad Successful 96
Writing and Designing an Eye-Catching Print Ad 99
Hammering out your headline 99
Shaping your subheads 101
Building your body copy 101
Generating your graphics 102
Don’t forget the layout! 103
xiii
Table of Contents
02_045833 ftoc.qxp 11/22/06 3:40 PM Page xiii
Chapter 8: Radio: Effective, Affordable, and Fun . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .107

Summarizing Your Business in 60 Seconds 107
Who are you? 108
What are you selling? 108
When do you want consumers to act? 109
How can customers get in touch with you? 109
Why should customers hire or buy from you? 110
Deciding on the Format for Your Ad 112
Talking it up: Dialogue 112
Amusing (and schmoozing) the masses: Comedy 113
Giving just the facts: A straight read 114
Determining Who Should Read the Script 115
Doing it yourself 115
Using a studio announcer 118
Hiring a professional voice talent 118
Setting It All in Motion: How to Get Your Ad on the Radio 120
Chapter 9: Demystifying TV Commercials: They Don’t Have
to Win Awards to Be Effective . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .123
Designing Your TV Commercial in Layers 124
Audio 124
Video 125
Computer graphics 125
Bringing the Audio and Visual Together 126
Deciding What to Feature in Your Commercial 129
Appearing in your own commercial 129
Promoting with a professional 130
Highlighting your place of business 130
Focusing the camera on your product or service 131
Figuring Out Where to Shoot 131
On location 131
In the studio 134

Producing Your Commercial 135
Using the TV station’s production department 135
Hiring an independent production house 137
Editing Your Commercial 137
Chapter 10: Collateral Advertising and Direct Mail:
Brochures, Flyers, Newsletters, and More . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .139
First Things First: Planning Your Collateral Campaign 140
Watching Out for Collateral Budget Busters 141
Adding a little (or a lot) of color 142
Printing cheap: No such thing? 142
Advertising For Dummies, 2nd Edition
xiv
02_045833 ftoc.qxp 11/22/06 3:40 PM Page xiv
Designing the Best Collateral Ads for Your Business 145
Striving for a simple design and clear copy 146
Deciding what to include in your ad 147
Getting help with your design 151
Handing Off the Dirty Work: Direct-Mail Houses 154
Asking the direct-mail provider some important questions 154
Planning your postage 157
Chapter 11: Opting for Outdoor Ads: Billboards, Posters,
Ads on Buses, and Other Signage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .159
Recognizing the Advantages of Outdoor Advertising 160
Measuring the Effectiveness of Outdoor Ads 162
Choosing Among Your Outdoor Advertising Options 163
Designing Memorable Outdoor Advertising 166
Pursuing potential customers 167
Making your ad readable 168
Keeping your ad clear 169
Making it worth remembering 169

Looking at a Success Story: Chick-fil-A’s Billboard Campaign 170
Aiming for the target audience 171
Setting up the marketing strategy 171
Capitalizing on the creative strategy 171
Reaping the results 171
Part III: Buying the Different Media 173
Chapter 12: Investing in Internet Advertising . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .175
Hiring Someone to Create Your Business Web Site 176
Choosing a Web designer worthy
of your hard-earned dollars 176
Contracting with and paying a Web designer 178
Finding an ISP to Run Your Site 179
Ranking Your Site: Purchasing Key Words on Search Engines 181
Buying Banner Ads on Other Web Sites 181
Using ad networks 181
Placing your online ads yourself 182
Online advertising via affiliate programs 182
Finding out whether your banner is working 183
Assessing the Cost-Effectiveness of E-Mail Advertising 184
xv
Table of Contents
02_045833 ftoc.qxp 11/22/06 3:40 PM Page xv
Chapter 13: Buying Ad Space in Print Media . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .187
Choosing the Right Publication for Your Print Ad 188
Calculating Your Print Ad’s Cost 189
Finding a Good Sales Rep 191
Cold-calling a publication: Don’t do it! 191
Going straight to the top: Call the sales manager 192
Asking for referrals 192
Becoming a Formidable Ad Buyer 193

Acting as though you’re reluctant 193
Making your sales rep think she’s got competition 195
Complaining when the time is right 196
Chapter 14: Purchasing Ad Time on the Radio . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .199
Determining the Best Radio Station for Your Ads 200
Specifying which demographic you’re after 201
Doing your homework 202
Buying the station 204
Talking the Talk of Radio Advertising 205
Cume 206
Ranker 206
Dayparts 207
Reading the Fine Print 207
Hammering out the details 207
Holding ’em to it 209
Waiting Patiently for the Results 210
Giving your audience time to respond 210
Buying radio time: Too little, too much? 211
Evaluating your radio ads from time to time 211
Taking Advantage of Seasonal Incentives to Reduce Your Costs 212
Chapter 15: Getting Your Ads on Television . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .215
Buying the Programming, Not the Station 216
Comparing TV Stations: Request Media Kits 217
Ready to Negotiate? Better Know Your TV Marketing Terms First! 218
Understanding timing and sweeps 219
Measuring ratings and market shares 219
Working with a Sales Rep 221
Talkin’ the talk: Negotiating successfully 223
Is Cable Advertising Right for You? 226
Working effectively with a cable sales rep 227

Hitting the bull’s-eye with cable ads 229
Doing the math: Cable TV market penetration 229
Advertising For Dummies, 2nd Edition
xvi
02_045833 ftoc.qxp 11/22/06 3:40 PM Page xvi
Chapter 16: Deciding Whether to Hire an Ad Agency . . . . . . . . . . . . .233
Determining When You May Need to Hire an Agency 234
Finding the Right Agency for Your Business 236
Getting to Know the People Handling Your Account 237
Compensating Your Agency 238
Media commissions 239
Creative and production charges 240
Markups 241
Retainers 241
Working with Your Agency to Get What You Need 242
Part IV: Beyond the Basics: Creating Buzz
and Using Publicity 245
Chapter 17: Creating Buzz and Word-of-Mouth Advertising . . . . . . .247
Getting the Terminology Straight 247
Seeing the Power of Word of Mouth 248
Examining word-of-mouth marketing success stories 249
Beware of negative buzz! 250
Tips and Techniques on Generating Buzz 251
Coining a great new phrase 251
Hiring beautiful people to promote your product 251
Taking advantage of celebrity endorsements 252
Throwing a party 253
Hitting the streets 253
Figuring out where to find your big mouths 254
Creating a blog about your business 254

Chapter 18: Leveraging Your Advertising with Public Relations,
Publicity, Specialty Items, and Events . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .257
Starting a Public Relations Campaign 258
Understanding How Publicity Can Bring Customers 259
Writing an effective press release 260
Getting the story to the right media 263
Advertising on Specialty Items 266
Recognizing the advantages of specialty advertising 267
Selecting specialty items with a purpose 269
Keep the copy simple on a specialty item 271
Generating Traffic: Promotional Events 271
Radio: The promotions king 272
Other promotional opportunities 275
xvii
Table of Contents
02_045833 ftoc.qxp 11/22/06 3:40 PM Page xvii
Participating in Sponsored Events 275
Determining whether you can staff the event 276
Calculating the costs: A valuable investment? 277
Deciding which events are worthwhile 277
Finding sponsored events that work for your business 278
Part V: The Part of Tens 279
Chapter 19: Ten Secrets for Writing Memorable Advertising . . . . . .281
Ignoring the Rules of Grammar 281
Making Your Ads Effective 282
Knowing Why People Buy Your Products 282
Finding a Creative Hook 283
Remembering That Creativity Is Hard Work 284
Letting Your Creative Hook Dictate Your Media Buy 284
Considering Your Budget 285

Striving for Continuity 285
Keeping It Simple 286
Being Clear in Your Message 286
Chapter 20: (Almost) Ten Ways to Know It’s Time to Hire
an Agency . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .287
Your Ad Budget Has Become Substantial 287
You Need the Expertise of a Professional Media Buyer 288
Your Creative Light Bulb Has Burned Out 288
You’re Overwhelmed by the Demands of Production 289
You’re Having Trouble Keeping Up with the Bookkeeping 289
You’re Leaving Co-Op Funds on the Table 289
Your Time Is Being Taken Up by Media Reps 290
You’re Running Faster to Stay in the Same Place 290
You Want a Bunch of Free Stuff 291
Glossary 293
Index 297
Advertising For Dummies, 2nd Edition
xviii
02_045833 ftoc.qxp 11/22/06 3:40 PM Page xviii
Introduction
A
dvertising, despite whatever impressions you have or information
you’ve heard, isn’t complicated — or rather, it’s only as complicated as
you want it to be. Sure, a lot is involved with advertising. Print, broadcast,
outdoor, direct mail, collateral materials, Internet — each media has its own
positives and negatives, its own mysterious production language, and its own
unique rates. How does a novice decipher this stuff? How do you know what
to buy and what to ignore?
Yes, advertising can seem complicated, even intimidating, but the good news
is that it ain’t rocket science. You just need a few tricks of the trade that help

you design, write, and implement a creative, hard-hitting, memorable ad cam-
paign for your business. The purpose of this book is to show you those
tricks.
About This Book
You can read this book front to back, or you can simply refer to it as you
would any reference book, dipping into the chapters you need right away.
Whichever way you read it, you may discover some shortcuts, insights, tech-
niques, and money-saving facts that can get you the most bang for the buck
while taking some of the mystery out of this all-important element of your
business.
Think of Advertising For Dummies, 2nd Edition, as a guidebook to map your
way through the back alleys, side streets, and secret pathways leading to
effective advertising. Advertising can be a very intimidating subject — it has
its own language; it comes in a huge array of media choices; it requires, when
done right, creativity, clarity, and solid production values to cut through its
own clutter; and it costs a lot of money. But advertising is also essential to
the success of your business. Use this travel guide to chart your course down
the hidden boulevards of advertising, and you may discover that, indeed, the
streets are paved with gold.
03_045833 intro.qxp 11/22/06 3:39 PM Page 1
Conventions Used in This Book
When this book was printed, some Web addresses may have needed to break
across two lines of text. If that happened, rest assured that I haven’t put in
any extra characters (such as hyphens) to indicate the break. So, when using
one of these Web addresses, just type in exactly what you see in this book,
pretending as though the line break doesn’t exist.
What You’re Not to Read
You don’t have to read any text preceded by a Technical Stuff icon in order to
understand the chapter subject (though I urge you to read it if you’re feeling
the need for some surplus advertising brainpower). Some information also

appears in gray boxes known as sidebars. These sidebars are asides and not
critical to the text, so you don’t have to read them — though you may miss
out on some interesting information or anecdote if you skip them entirely!
Foolish Assumptions
This book is not for the CEO of a major corporation with virtually unlimited
funds for slick, glossy production, and mind-boggling amounts of cash for
media buys. Instead, this book is for entrepreneurs, owners of small to mid-
size businesses, and professionals selling important services — in other
words, anyone who’s trying to drum up business and create a successful
company with the help of advertising. This book is for the rest of us — the
people for whom an advertising budget represents an important percentage
of gross income and, therefore, a drain on the old take-home pay that must
be considered very seriously.
Over the years, I have helped numerous clients project clear, concise, cre-
ative messages within limited budget parameters. I used to dream of bound-
less production budgets with which to produce award-winning ads for both
print and broadcast. I always wondered what it would be like to take a com-
plete crew — cameramen, sound and lighting technicians, stunt drivers, fash-
ion models, actors, makeup people, hairstylists, even caterers — to some
exotic locale where I would have a one-month deadline within which to shoot
a 30-second, $2 million spot. It never happened. My guess is that less than
1 percent of all professional advertising people actually work on the major
national accounts, creating the ads you see each night during prime time —
the ads produced with unrestricted budgets, which, sadly, still seem to miss
2
Advertising For Dummies, 2nd Edition
03_045833 intro.qxp 11/22/06 3:39 PM Page 2
the mark more often than not. The other 99 percent of advertising profession-
als are guys like me.
How This Book Is Organized

This book is divided into five easily digestible parts, and each part is divided
into chapters. Here’s the scoop on what each part covers:
Part I: Advertising 101
From the moment you get out of bed in the morning, to late at night when you
turn off the television and turn out the lights, you’re bombarded with thou-
sands of advertising messages. Advertising is here, there, everywhere. And
into this clutter you now insert your own advertising. What you discover in
this part are the fundamentals of effective advertising. I also help you identify
your target market, set your sales goals, narrow your focus, and develop an
advertising plan that works. I delve into the complicated world of co-op adver-
tising reimbursement, in which your ad dollars are augmented by others.
I think you may be pleasantly surprised at the quality of media you can
afford, even on the smallest budgets. Mass media may, at first glance, appear
to be unaffordable. But regardless of the expense, when you consider how
many people you can reach with mass media, it’s the smartest way you can
spend your money. What you can’t afford to do is fritter away a limited ad
budget on questionable media that’s better suited to wrapping fish than it is
to attracting new customers to your business. So in this part, I help you plan
an advertising strategy that actually brings customers through your door.
Part II: Creating Great Ads
for Every Medium
This part of the book is the longest, because the depth of your media choices
is simply mind-boggling (and new forms of media, both good and bad, are
introduced nearly every day). In this part, I stick to the mass media choices
of online ads and your own Web site, as well as newspaper, magazine, radio,
television, collateral, and outdoor advertising. I walk you through the steps of
writing broadcast and print ads that motivate and sell. I show you what goes
into producing radio and TV commercials, as well as print ads and brochures,
3
Introduction

03_045833 intro.qxp 11/22/06 3:39 PM Page 3
and I queue you in on what you need to know to build a Web site and adver-
tise on the Internet. I also show you why continuity, delivering the same mes-
sage across all media, is the all-important key to a successful ad campaign.
Part III: Buying the Different Media
This part gets down to the nitty-gritty — the actual spending of your hard-
earned advertising budget. Here I take a hard look at investing in Internet
advertising, negotiating with print media to get the best possible page posi-
tion at the lowest possible price, and why buying television time isn’t nearly
as complicated as putting a man on the moon.
Here’s the best part of these chapters: I give you the inside scoop on getting
all kinds of free stuff (even vacations) as part of your media expenditures.
The chapters in this part give you the information you need in order to maxi-
mize your ad budget by spending it wisely. Finally, if you’ve considered hiring
an ad agency, this part is where I tell you who the players are and the pros
and cons of going this route.
Part IV: Beyond the Basics: Creating
Buzz and Using Publicity
In this part, I show you how to generate word-of-mouth and buzz about your
products or services. And I explain the difference between publicity and
public relations, help you write a good press release, and show you how to
get it published (hey, it’s free advertising). Finally, I walk you through the
unique nature of advertising specialties and premiums while showing you
how to increase their effectiveness, and I reveal how to become involved in
sponsored promotions and events. I even demonstrate how to invent suc-
cessful promotions of your own.
Part V: The Part of Tens
What, you may be asking, is a Part of Tens? It’s the part of every For Dummies
book that cuts right to the chase. If you don’t have time to read anything else
in this book, read these short lists of do’s and don’ts. In these lists of ten,

I instruct you on writing effective, creative, clear copy for all media and help
you decide whether or not your business could use the services of an adver-
tising agency. (If you’re too busy to even read that chapter, hire an agency
right away.)
4
Advertising For Dummies, 2nd Edition
03_045833 intro.qxp 11/22/06 3:39 PM Page 4
Icons Used in This Book
Icons are those little pictures you find in the margins of this book. I use them
to grab your attention and steer you toward key bits of information. Here’s a
list of the icons I use in this book and what they mean:
Some of the points I make in this book are so important that you want to
commit them to memory. If you file these tidbits in your memory bank, you
will have gathered some very important details about the advertising
business.
This icon marks insider tips I’ve gathered over the years. They can help you
avoid some of the mistakes I’ve figured out the hard way and give you a leg
up as you navigate the various elements leading to effective advertising.
As I lead you through the hidden back streets of advertising, I don’t want you
to stumble and fall. So I’ve marked some of the larger potholes and cracks in
the sidewalk with this Warning icon.
Whenever I wax nostalgic and feel the need to share stories of my past expe-
riences or interesting examples from others in the ad biz, you see this icon.
The advertising trade brings with it a ton of technical stuff, and I’ve marked
these areas with this icon. The good news is that you can safely skip over any
paragraph marked with this icon. But if you read it, you may discover infor-
mation that you can use to wow (if not confuse and dismay) the sales reps
and other ad people you deal with, not to mention your neighbors down the
street.
Where to Go from Here

You’re holding this book because you felt a need to discover the ins and outs
of the ad game. Think of this as a traveler’s guide that contains the charts
and maps you need in order to find your way through the weird and wonder-
ful world of advertising. You can begin your journey in the beginning, or you
can dive right into the middle — whichever works best for you.
5
Introduction
03_045833 intro.qxp 11/22/06 3:39 PM Page 5
6
Advertising For Dummies, 2nd Edition
03_045833 intro.qxp 11/22/06 3:39 PM Page 6